Your summer may include family travel plans and camp for the kids, but what about the in-between days? Here you’ll find some easy activities and tips on how to keep the boredom out of summer downtime and even incorporate some Jewish values while you’re at it.
The Summer Contract
Take time as a family to set expectations for the summer. Are there chores involved? How many outings per week? Kids will appreciate the opportunity to help craft these guidelines, and parents will appreciate parameters set in place ahead of time that can be referred to later if necessary. It’s also a way to practice the value of kavod, respect.
Sample line items on the contract might include:
- Summer bedtime is 8:00 p.m.
- We go out for a special summer dessert once a week.
- When the answer about an activity is “no,” we will listen the first time.
Screen Time
The Hebrew word achrayut is often translated as “responsibility” and used to refer to self-discipline or self-control. Without school or homework to occupy daytime hours, in a media-centric world it’s easy to fall into a routine of watching TV or online videos until a more appealing activity comes along. Ultimately, deciding how much screen time is allowed is up to parents, but there are ways to encourage less TV and computer time if that’s your goal.
Try these options with your family:
- Model the screen time behaviour you want to see. This is a challenge for parents when it’s so easy to pick up your phone and scroll through Instagram or check email, but if you find other ways to spend your time, kids will get the message.
- Try a screen-free day. This could fall naturally on Shabbat if you prefer or any other day. If you do a trial run of no phones or tablets for a day (except for necessary texts or calls), then you’ll have a pretty good idea of how dependent your family is on their screens. You can then try limiting screen time little by little on the other days.
- Use screen time as a reward. Instead of making watching a movie the activity, make it an incentive for doing chores or finishing a less sedentary project.
All-Day Activities
The best way to limit screen time and keep boredom at bay is an activity that takes up a few hours or the whole day. The best part is it doesn’t take a lot of advance planning to incorporate the value of limud, learning and teaching.
- Visit a museum, science centre or zoo. Why not go for something that can be fun and educational? Many cities also have children’s museums, but even the average art or nature museum usually has something for everyone.
- Tackle a home improvement project. The long days of summer are perfect for building a garden or making some minor repairs around the house.
- Take the family on a day-long road trip. You don’t have to schedule a whole week off to get out of town and enjoy some time away. Find a nearby spot that requires a few hours of travel by car or train, and you’ll enjoy the journey and the destination.
Keep the Conversation Going
Even if you manage to schedule something fun and exciting every day, there will always be a certain amount of downtime. One way to keep shalom bayit (peace in the home) is by preparing some talking points or simple games ahead of time.
- Play the alphabet game in which you take turns naming something in a certain category that starts with the last letter of the previous item. If the category is animals and someone says “bear,” the next person could say “rabbit” or “rhinoceros.”
- Have everyone share a story about their worst or best meal ever.
- Try a kid-friendly improv game. Fun, short brain exercises are a great way to build creative muscle, and they don’t require any supplies. These drama games will get you started.
Here’s a list of some additional conversation starters. Even better, create your own.
July 18, 2018